Sunburst Saturday

The morning started bright and early at the Putt household, as Dan and I got up at 6 to head to Sunburst in downtown South Bend. We had signed up a LONG time ago to run the 5k (so long ago, in fact, that I didn't realize I'd be married and registered under my maiden name!). We had lots of friends running today and ran in to quite a few as we waited for the official start at 7:15. 

The course was slightly different this year in that it didn't end in Notre Dame stadium like years past. Since Notre Dame is redoing the field this summer, the finish line was moved to just outside the main stadium gate. There were a few different dodges and weaves on the streets, but it was still a great course. There are just a couple of uphills, but luckily there was a nice breeze today, and we'd gotten started before it got too hot. 

I wasn't sure how today was going to go, because we haven't been running as consistently as we normally are. The winter was brutal, and wedding planning kept us very busy throughout the spring, so today's run could have gone either way. 

But, luckily, it ended up being a great run! Dan stayed with me even though he could have gone way faster, and we both finished strong! It was so nice to have my husband (and cheerleader!) by my side! Even though I wanted to slow down at various points, he helped me keep my pace consistent, and encouraged me to keep pushing. 

Now that we've finished our first race of the year, it makes me excited to get more races on the calendar. There are quite a few coming up in June and July, so I'm hoping we can take advantage of some of them! I can't wait until summer when I can sneak a run in whenever I want. We only have five more school days, and then it can really be running season!